An unusually warm and dry November gave way to torrential winds and heavy precipitation as winter announced its presence emphatically with three feet of fresh snow in a couple of days on Mount Hood.Winds ripped through the mountain at 50 miles per hour and stronger, and snow dumped down in flurries. By 5 pm Friday, November 13, the snow base at 6,000 feet of elevation had deepened to 30 inches, and the Mt. Hood forecast was calling for between 19 and 38 inches over the weekend.

Mt. Hood Meadows and Timberline are hoping to have some lifts operating by as soon as Thanksgiving, while SkiBowl is as always hoping for the best. Expect a couple weeks of good old Pacific Northwest early winter weather, hopefully the kind of storms that create a solid frozen foundation for a much-needed season of Mount Hood bliss.

Action Photos by Grant Myrdal

Nature shots by Ben Jacklet

Last modified: November 14, 2020